Sontrepreneur
I was talking to a friend about mortgages and he mentioned That one of the biggest players in the industry is Mat Ishbia, the Jewish owner of the Phoenix Suns. I knew he ran one of the largest mortgage lending companies, But I hadn’t realized that his father had started the business. As he explained how Mat built on his father’s success And took the company and industry to new levels, I innocently commented: So you’re saying he’s not a sontrepreneur. My friend loved it. It sounded right. But he had never heard the term before And wanted to know exactly what it meant. So I explained. There are two types of people who inherit generational wealth or successful businesses. You have the entrepreneur. A person who realizes that he or she was given a gift And works hard to better the business and increase their wealth. And then there are those who feel entitled to the comforts That others struggled to acquire and pass on to them. They live off what they inherited, often convinced they are self-made, Without much interest in contributing or giving back. That’s not an entrepreneur. That’s a sontrepreneur. There’s a famous line about the self-made millionaire. His parents left him a billion dollars. It’s funny, but it forces an uncomfortable accounting. What did you actually build, and what did you simply receive? What good is a gift if you’re not using it properly? The truth is, we all inherit tremendous wealth. Sometimes financial. Often in the form of talent, education, relationships, or opportunity. And even more importantly, spiritual wealth- Our soul and the ability to connect to G-d through Torah and mitzvot. This month marks two sources of such wealth that I’ve been privileged to be born into, And reflecting on them has pushed me to ask those same questions of myself. Seventy-five years ago, on the eleventh of Shevat, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Rebbe, Assumed the leadership of the Chabad movement. In his public talks, private letters, and personal encounter
